India withdraws from the FIFA ASEAN Cup: Will Vietnam's national team be affected?

India's withdrawal from the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 puts the tournament at risk of disruption, while also creating significant impacts on the journey of Vietnam's national team.

The matter India's national team officially withdraws from the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is causing major disruption to the tournament just before its start. The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to begin on September 21, with Group 1 comprising eight teams divided into two pools held in Indonesia. Vietnam's national team is in Group B alongside Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan, while Group A includes host Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and India.

According to the initial format, the eight teams in Group 1 will play a round-robin in Indonesia. The top two teams from each group advance to the final, while the second-place teams meet in the third-place match. Meanwhile, Group 2 is held in Hong Kong with six teams: Hong Kong, Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Timor-Leste. India's withdrawal threatens to break the four-team structure of each group in Group 1.

If FIFA does not find a replacement team, Group A will only have Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. In that case, these three teams would play only two group matches, while Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan in Group B would still play three matches. This difference in the number of matches could clearly create fairness issues, forcing FIFA to reconsider how to determine the finalists and the tournament schedule.

Notably, India's withdrawal does not directly change the opponents of Vietnam's national team. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team will still compete against Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan to top Group B. However, if FIFA brings in another team to replace India, Group A could return to its original four-team structure. Conversely, if the group remains with only three teams, FIFA will have to introduce special measures to avoid imbalance between the two groups.

Besides the format, the prize money issue is also noteworthy. According to FIFA's announcement, the Group 1 champion—where Vietnam's team competes—will receive $1 million (approximately 24.5 billion VND), while the Group 2 champion gets $300,000. However, India's withdrawal from Group 1 does not mean Group 2 will have only three teams; the six teams in that group remain unchanged. Therefore, the risk of adjusting the prize structure mainly lies in how FIFA handles the format and number of teams in Group 1.

With the Vietnam national team, the immediate goal remains to compete for the top spot in Group B and secure a place in the final of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. However, India's decision has placed a significant challenge before FIFA regarding the schedule, number of matches, and tournament balance. The most anticipated solution is to find a replacement team to maintain Group A with four teams, thereby allowing the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 to proceed according to its original structure and limit potential controversies.